LOS ANGELES — Ichiro Suzuki was having the worst World Baseball Classic imaginable leading up to the WBC final. He changed all that with one swing. Ichiro broke a 10th-inning tie with a two-run single and Yu Darvish closed out the game as Japan ...

LOS ANGELES — On a cool night in Chavez Ravine, the World Baseball Classic lived up to its name. Asian rivals Japan and South Korea put on a show before a record crowd in the final of the 2009 WBC on Monday at Dodger ...

LOS ANGELES — Even Sadaharu Oh is a little weary of watching Japan face South Korea in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. “Since this is the second tournament, there is nothing you can do about this,” Oh said before the teams met for the ...

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LOS ANGELES — Tatsunori Hara and Samurai Japan wanted to beat the United States at its own game almost as much as they wanted to defend the World Baseball Classic title. Now they’ll get a chance to do both. Japan took control of their ...

While Samurai Japan has discreet, silent players that lead the squad with their bats instead of their mouths, like Ichiro Suzuki or Michihiro Ogasawara, the contribution of less-heralded players is appreciated too. Baby-faced infielder Munenori Kawasaki is one, and he has given Team Japan ...

LOS ANGELES — Daisuke Matsuzaka used the 2006 World Baseball Classic as a stepping stone to a career in the major leagues. Three years later, there may be a lot of Asian players preparing to follow in his footsteps. Whether or not Asian players ...

His humble, positive attitude paid off — in the final minutes. Hiroshima Carp infielder Kenta Kurihara, who was added to Japan’s World World Baseball Classic roster as a substitute for the injured Shuichi Murata, joined the squad on Saturday afternoon. He was just in ...

LOS ANGELES — Kim Tae Kyun and his South Korean teammates didn’t have much time to be intimidated by all the major league talent in the Venezuelan dugout. They were too busy blowing them out. Kim Tae Kyun hit his third homer of the ...

Japan’s main objective in the 2009 World Baseball Classic is to repeat as WBC champions. Two wins shy of their goal, the Japanese are ready to do whatever it takes to make their dream a reality. “We’re just going to play,” pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma ...

LOS ANGELES — Before Japan can again crown itself the best baseball team in the world, it will have to defeat the country that created the game on its own turf. Samurai Japan and the United States hit the ground running during their workouts ...

LOS ANGELES — Having arrived at the semifinals for the World Baseball Classic, Japan manager Tatsunori Hara felt right at home. The U.S., meanwhile, was just looking for a home-field advantage. The WBC reaches its final destination on Saturday as the four semifinalists descend ...

LOS ANGELES — Some games are difficult to forget. Win or lose, they remained etched in one’s memory for a long, long time. Just ask die-hard Japanese baseball fans or players from Japan’s 2006 World Baseball Classic squad. On March 12, 2006, Japan took ...